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At my home a “banned book” is a book collecting dust on a
shelf, usually bought for one of my (adult) sons whom unfortunately, have yet to
acquire a love of reading. The book sits there, silent, and then all of a
sudden it screams out – read me, read me please. Well, mom picks it up to read.
There is always a catalyst. So on Thanksgiving Day I read
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie….
Librarians and media specialists were the catalysts this time. I recall a
conversation I had this summer with my cousin whose husband is a middle school
media specialist; she said “You have got to read this book!” then just last
week I was browsing through the library site of my Alma Mater and ran across a
blog post about banned books week, which included a segment on Alexie’s book. I
went down to my son’s room, pulled that book out, dusted it off and it became
my Thanksgiving read. No regrets. Powerful! I am not going to comment on the varied
reasons parents want this book off the shelf…my only hope is that by banning
it, it will get more attention, and the masses will read it and thus be exposed
to the difficult issues that surround all of us: educational inequality, social
injustices, and cultural misunderstandings. For it is only through exposure and
education that we can achieve a more harmonious being. Isn’t it ironic that
adults work to shelter their children from the essential societal dialogs that
could lead to more integral understandings (education) of our shortcomings?
My take-aways can be categorized under the following
themes: self-identity, crossing borders,
social justice, hope/courage, and supportive relationships.
Self-identity
Junior identifies as an intelligent, proud, quirky American
Indian from the Spokane Indian reservation in Washington, who comes to the
realization that the context of his reservation community is incompatible with the
hopes and dreams he has for himself. He realizes that in order to receive a
decent education he must leave the Rez (reservation) and enter the white-mans world,
which then leads to constant emotional, social, and physical challenges. Recognizing
and accepting his identity is exceptionally painful for Junior who analyzes,
through his adolescent brain, the circumstances that have led to poverty, alcoholism
and lack of self-worth among members of the Reservation. Although only an
adolescent, I believe Junior is conflicted by his inability to change the
circumstances of his people, and struggles with his conclusion that his only
hope is to leave those circumstances. Thus he accepts his identity as an Indian
betraying his community by entering a white world.
Crossing borders
Junior, a recognized Indian name, remains a resident of his
reservation, but commutes daily, as Arnold, his given name, to the suburban
white high-school of Reardan. His need to navigate multiple border-crossings is
overwhelming. Poor to rich(er) and Native American to white dominate his being.
Culture shock and mental and physical fatigue accompany his daily “crossing”
from home to school and school to home. He navigates distinct cultural
experiences that include making friends and socializing, gaining knowledge and
accessing academic resources; expressing pride and negotiating acceptance.
As an educator in a middle to upper-class, majority white,
suburban school, I wonder how many of our students must “cross borders” on a
daily basis. What can we as educators do to ease, understand and facilitate
this border crossing? Arnold was accepted into his new community, and I believe
the educational community that I am part of is also welcoming and accepting;
however, I feel that it is our obligation to strive to facilitate less
traumatic “border crossings” and I wonder what we can do as a community to
achieve that?
Illustration pg. 43 by Ellen Forney
Hope and Courage
This coming of age novel is truly one of hope and courage. Junior’s
hope for a better life led him to seek out a higher quality education; and it
took great courage to put aside the forces of a group-oriented culture to enter
one that focuses on the individual.
Indeed, leaving a community where the expectation is to put ones group
above oneself, led to rejection and hostility which made his journey all the
more difficult. Courage led him to walk many miles each day; led him to accept
the loss of his life-long friend; led him to ask a white girl to the homecoming
dance; and to share in the joy of learning whether that be on the basketball
court or in the classroom. Learning
about his world through his story gave me hope as well; as it was clear that
the students of Reardan learned through his realities, were empathetic and began
to understand more about a the culture of one’s neighbor which at one time
seemed to be a distant land.
Social Justice
A glimpse into the world of this Indian reservation
highlights a variety of social justice issues that although are perpetuated
within certain Indian lands, also exist in many areas of our society. Extreme
poverty due to systematic societal inequities; educational inequality or simply
no access to any decent education; cultural isolation and a sense of
inferiority leading to a mirage of mental illness and addiction. Wondering how to best address these issues?
Supportive Relationships
In the end it was very humbling to view the development of
relationships between Junior and others. To experience the type of support,
against all odds, that he received from his mother, father, sister and
grandmother was sobering. The importance he gave to developing friendships
within the Rez, at his new school, with his girl friend and among his teammates
was courageous and genuine. The attention he gave to the advice his Rez teacher
gave him, made a world of difference to his future. It certainly sends the
message that no matter what our background and culture is we thrive on relationships
and need support from loved ones both during challenging times as well as times
of celebration.
A wonderful Thanksgiving read, ironically leading me to
ponder – with this particular population should we be offering thanks or asking
for forgiveness?
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